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Istanbul hosts meeting of Syrian opposition leaders

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:33:08 -0400

ISTANBUL - Syrian opposition leaders Thursday began their three-day meeting in this Turkish capital city to decide on their participation in talks aimed at end the civil war in the country. As the meeting began in Istanbul a prominent Syrian figure in the opposition proposed a transition plan for the country that requires President Bashar al-Assad to hand over power to a senior aide and leave ...

Scarred U.S. struggling to maintain foothold in Mideast

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:16:31 -0400

In an article published May 15, 2013, American historical social scientist Immanuel Wallerstein wrote, "Nothing illustrates more the limitations of Western power than the internal controversy its elites are having in public about what the United States in particular and western European states should be doing about the civil war in Syria." Those limitations are palpable in both language and ...

UAE issues stamp to commemorate satellite

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:30:02 -0400

Emirates Post has issued a stamp to showcase the UAE's achievement in the field of science and technology, and to commemorate the "Y1A", the first multipurpose satellite by Yahsat. The satellite, a milestone for the nation, is designed to provide advanced satellite services to Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Central and South West Asia. The stamp is available in a denomination of four dirhams, ...

Al-Qaeda seizes territory in Yemens Hadramawt

Fri, 24 May 2013 09:54:35 -0400

Yemeni armed tribesmen, supported by the Yemeni army to fight with Al-Qaeda militants, ride a tank in the southern town of Loder in Abyan province on April 14, 2012. AFP ...

Syria opposition skeptical as Russia says regime will talk

Fri, 24 May 2013 09:54:31 -0400

A member of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, Faruq Tayfur, attends a meeting on May 23, 2013, in Istanbul. AFP PHOTO/BULENT ...

Amnesty International criticizes torture in Egypt

Fri, 24 May 2013 09:27:19 -0400

Amnesty International says the administration of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi failed to implement reforms to eradicate torture. "No legal or policy reforms were implemented to eradicate torture under either the SCAF [Supreme Council of Armed Forces] or President Morsi's administration," the organization said. "Torture and other ill-treatment continued and security forces ...

Egypt 10 men suspected for the killing of 3 women in honour crime

Fri, 24 May 2013 08:41:55 -0400

LUXOR, Egypt - An Egyptian security official says 10 male relatives have killed a mother and her two daughters on suspicion of moral offences -- so-called "honour killings." The official said Friday the men suspected the three women of having affairs, and killed them to protect the family's honour. The three bodies were found in the Nile River near the ancient city of Luxor. They ...

Austria links UN peacekeepers to Syria arms ban

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:53:35 -0400

VIENNA (AP) -- Austria is urging an extension of the EU arms embargo for Syria, saying it may rethink its U.N. peacekeeping role in the region ...

Kerrys focus on peace talks not settlements

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:32:54 -0400

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urged Israel's government on Friday to prevent further settlement construction where possible to help revitalize Middle East peace hopes, but stressed that the Jewish state and Palestinians alike should remain focused on the larger goal of restarting direct ...

Tunisia Femen activist to face pepper spray charge

Fri, 24 May 2013 06:19:26 -0400

TUNIS: A young Tunisian women's rights activist, who was arrested at the weekend while protesting against hardline Islamists, has been charged with possessing pepper spray, her lawyer said on Thursday.The 18-year-old, known by the pseudonym Amina Tyler, who sparked controversy in March by posting topless pictures of herself online, has been summoned to appear in court next Thursday, ...

Bahrain economic growth seen at 5 this year

Fri, 24 May 2013 06:16:26 -0400

Economic growth in Bahrain is expected to rise to more than five percent this year on the back of a rebound in oil production and expansion in non-oil ...

Research and Markets United Arab Emirates Oil and Gas Industry Outlook to 2020

Fri, 24 May 2013 06:09:35 -0400

"United Arab Emirates Oil and Gas Industry Outlook to 2020 - Supply, Demand, Investment, Infrastructure (Fields, Blocks, Pipelines, LNG, Refinery, Storage Assets) and Companies" report to their offering. United Arab Emirates Oil and Gas Industry Outlook to 2020 from OGAnalysis provides a comprehensive overview of the United Arab Emirates oil and gas sector, covering the entire ...

Iran denies it has forces in Syria

Fri, 24 May 2013 06:01:54 -0400

Tehran withdraw its fighters from Syrian territory. "The true enemies of Syria make up these accusations to provoke the people of this country," Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Araqchi said, quoted by Iranian state television. At a meeting in Jordan on Thursday, the Friends of Syria grouping of Western and Arab governments called for the immediate withdrawal from Syria of Iranian ...

Recruitment firm Archelons to invest $1 mn in Qatar

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:58:18 -0400

Archelons has announced it will invest $1 million in Qatar over the coming five years in the field of management solutions. Making the announcement at an event in Doha, Archelons CEO Pankaj Mittal said the company's management solutions include talent identification, talent sourcing, assessment solutions and recruitment. "Archelons seeks to open doors for both recruiters and job seekers ...

Workers Struggles Europe Middle East Africa

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:19:37 -0400

Around 400 drivers of the Veolia bus company have taken part in a walkout since May 14, in protest at a new shift system and the company's personnel management record. Over the past week, Veolia Transport and the union have held talks without results. The strike affects all Veolia routes from the Tuupakka and Hakunila depots. Traffic in central Vantaa has been severely affected, as well as ...

Syrian state media Rebels attack prison in north

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:14:59 -0400

AP10ThingsToSee - In this image from amateur video obtained by a group called Ugarit News, a rebel runs from an explosion, Sunday, May 19, 2013 in Qusair, Syria. An intense battle drove rebels from large parts of Qusair, part of a withering government offensive aimed at securing a strategic land corridor from Damascus to the Mediterranean coast. (AP ...

Analysis Sinai is becoming a major threat to Egypt

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:08:34 -0400

kidnapped last week in the Sinai Peninsula . They were released unhurt after marathon negotiations that lasted until dawn Wednesday between a representative of military intelligence, a Salafi sheikh and a representative of the Swarka tribe, one of the largest in the peninsula.No one will guarantee it will be the last kidnapping. The official version is that no deal was struck, and it may be ...

Putin hopes all Arab countries to be consuming Russian turkey soon

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:08:11 -0400

VORONEZH, May 23 (Itar-Tass) - Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said Thursday he hopes the entire Arab world will be consuming the turkey produced in Russia ...

Turkey bans alcohol advertising curbs sales

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:06:12 -0400

ANKARA | Fri May 24, 2013 5:06am EDT ANKARA May 24 (Reuters) - Turkey banned alcohol advertising and increased restrictions on alcohol sales on Friday in a move likely to anger secularist Turks who accuse the government of having an Islamic agenda. The sale of alcohol will be outlawed from 10 pm to 6 am. Alcohol producers will have to place health warnings on packaging. The law, which ...

HSBCs rich pickings in Qatar

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:01:41 -0400

"We are number one and we are three times [the size of] number two." This is how Abdul Hakeem Mostafawi, the CEO of HSBC Qatar, positions his bank among the group of international lenders currently plying their trade in Qatar. While this statement shows a strong sense of self-belief, the hefty presence of big local banks in the market means that there is no suggestion that Mostafawi is ...

‘We Can Blow Things Up’ America’s Power in the Middle East

Fri, 24 May 2013 04:54:06 -0400

Russia says Syrian government agrees in principle to conference

Fri, 24 May 2013 04:04:44 -0400

Russia and the United States , and criticized what it called attempts to undermine peace efforts. "Damascus has expressed its readiness in principle to participate in ...

Kerry Urgency needed in Mideast peace process

Fri, 24 May 2013 04:04:31 -0400

John Kerry said ahead of a second round of meetings Friday. "I am convinced, with great humility, that this moment is a critical one for the region and particularly for Israel, for Palestine and for Jordan," Kerry said before meeting with Israeli ...

Marriott says Middle East revenues up 11 in Q1

Fri, 24 May 2013 04:03:54 -0400

US hotel giant Marriott International has announced that its RevPAR (revenue per available room) rose by more than 11 percent in the first quarter of ...

Family over fame Lebanese singer Najwa freezes Arab Idol plans until dad gets better

Fri, 24 May 2013 03:18:30 -0400

Last song for "Arab Idol"? Najwa wants her father to be better before she returns on stage. Last year, the popular talent show "Arab Idol" concluded its season in the presence ...

Salman Khurshid leaves for Saudi Arabia

Fri, 24 May 2013 03:12:15 -0400

Salman Khurshid's visit comes at a time when a number of Indians are leaving Saudi Arabia as a result of the Kingdom's Nitaqat programme, which is meant to regularise foreign ...

Egypts cash-strapped rulers woo former regime tycoons

Fri, 24 May 2013 02:29:01 -0400

Almost three years after an uprising fuelled bythe old regime's venality, Egypt's cash-strapped Islamist government is makingamends with businessmen who offer to pay their way back into the ...

Obama warns of new terror threats

Fri, 24 May 2013 02:05:57 -0400

Sept. 11 , 2001, the country is more secure and fewer U.S. troops are in harm's way, Obama said while speaking at the U.S. Defense Department's National Defense University in Washington. However, he warned: "Now, make no mistake, our nation is still threatened by terrorists. From Benghazi to Boston, we have been tragically reminded of that truth. But we have to recognize that the ...

Egypt denies Morsi intents to run cabinet

Fri, 24 May 2013 01:06:38 -0400

Egyptian presidency denied Friday the circulated rumors that President Mohamed Morsi intended to hold the post of prime minister in an imminent cabinet reshuffle, official news agency MENA reported. "There is deliberation over assigning the post to another figure," MENA quoted presidential spokesman Omar Amer as saying. "Qualification will be the basic criteria for the upcoming ...

Analysts expect nothing much new from Kerrys Middle East tour

Thu, 23 May 2013 23:53:53 -0400

The United States Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Israel on Thursday as part of his efforts to restart the peace process, but analysts expect "nothing much new" from his tour and caution the public to lower expectations. It is Kerry's fourth visit to Israel since assuming his post in January. In addition to visiting Israel and Palestinian National Authority (PNA), Kerry ...

World Economic Forum to kick off a Dead Sea Jordan on Friday

Thu, 23 May 2013 23:48:48 -0400

The World Economic Forum is set to kick off at the Dead Sea, Jordan, on Friday. Image courtesy of WEF. World leaders including King Abdullah of Jordan, the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry are set to attend this ...

Barred from poll ex-president Rafsanjani calls Iranian leaders ignorant

Thu, 23 May 2013 23:00:13 -0400

Former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has accused Iran's leadership of incompetence and ignorance just days after he was barred from standing in an election next month, the opposition Kaleme website reported on Thursday.Rafsanjani's comments appeared to add to the political conflict between those loyal to the leadership and opposition groups who have been marginalized since ...

IAEA validates progress Iran

Thu, 23 May 2013 23:00:13 -0400

A new report by the UN atomic watchdog validates Iran's progress in its "peaceful" nuclear activities despite international sanctions, the country's envoy to the agency said on Thursday.The report of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Iran had accelerated the installation of advanced uranium enrichment equipment at its central Natanz plant, and was potentially ...

Egypt tourism recovery forecast for 2014

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:02:03 -0400

While tourist numbers to Egypt have risen in the first four months this year, a full recovery would not be likely until at least 2014, according to economist forecasts. The number of travellers visiting Egypt in the first four months of 2013 rose 11.8 percent from a year earlier, after falling by a third in the year after the uprising revolt, Reuters reported. Tourism revenue rose 16.2 ...

Syrian opposition mulls dialogue with regime

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:01:15 -0400

Istanbul Thursday to discuss its expansion, the election of a new president, and whether it will participate in the dialogue proposed by the U.S. and Russia scheduled to take place ...

Be a fighter not a killer coalition tells rebels

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:01:14 -0400

Syria must be investigated. The U.N. report stated that "Government forces and affiliated militias have committed extra-judicial executions, breaching international human rights law. This conduct also constitutes the war crime of murder. Where murder was committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack against a civilian population, with knowledge of that attack, it is a crime against ...

Opposition 15 executed in Halfaya

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:01:13 -0400

BEIRUT: Fifteen Syrians were executed by pro-regime militia in a town in Hama province Thursday after government troops overran the area, the ...

Syria conflict makes Palestinians refugees for second time

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:01:12 -0400

DAMASCUS: Syria’s fighting has uprooted more than half of the country’s 530,000 Palestinians – descendants of refugees from a Middle East conflict more than half a century ago – and their situation is becoming increasingly desperate, the head of ...

Police crackdown on radical Islamists tests stability in Tunisia

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:01:11 -0400

Ansar al-Shariah supporters clash with police Sunday after Tunisia's Interior Ministry banned their annual conference that was to be held in Ettadhamen, near ...

John Kerry reaches out in effort to restart Middle East peace talks

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:56:34 -0400

US secretary of state John Kerry greets workers as he visits a restaurant in the West Bank city of Ramallah yesterday. Photograph: Jim ...

World Briefing | Middle East Iraq Seven Soldiers Die in Two Attacks

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:48:32 -0400

Iraq on Thursday, officials said. Militants attacked an army checkpoint in the town of Taji, killing four soldiers and wounding four others, two police officers said. Another group of militants exchanged fire with military forces and pro-government Sunni militia in the western village of Karma, two other police officers said. Three soldiers were killed and 18 were wounded, including 7 Sunni ...

Pro-Gadhafi soldiers and rebels abuse of detainees

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:32:09 -0400

Pro-Gadhafi soldiers and rebels abuse of detainees Libya, Politics, 8/26/2011 Amnesty International reported yesterday that it has gathered powerful testimonies from survivors of abuse at the hands of both pro-Gadhafi soldiers and rebel forces, in and around the town of Az-Zawiya. Amnesty International met on Tuesday with "officials at Bir Tirfas School which is now being used to ...

legal issues surrounding any capture of al-Gadhafi

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:32:09 -0400

legal issues surrounding any capture of al-Gadhafi Libya, Politics, 8/26/2011 Amnesty International yesterday addressed the question of "What should happen to Colonel al-Gadhafi upon his capture?" saying in the report "Colonel al-Gadhafi must be given a fair trial. This is essential so that his victims in Libya can see justice being done. Everyone should be brought to justice, ...

El Salvador recognizes Palestinian state

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:32:09 -0400

El Salvador recognizes Palestinian state Palestine-El Salvador, Politics, 8/26/2011 El Salvador Thursday recognized Palestine as an independent and sovereign state, according to Palestinian officials. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas thanked the president of El Salvador for the recognition, expressing hope that it will bolster bilateral relations. Foreign Minister Riyad Malki had ...

Syrian cartoonist beaten savagely

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:32:08 -0400

Syrian cartoonist beaten savagely Syria, Politics, 8/26/2011 Reporters Without Borders reported that the famous cartoonist Ali Ferzat's torture while abducted for several hours today in Damascus and the woman journalist Hanadi Zahlout's torture while in detention are typical of the way the regime treats those who challenge its propaganda and express views different from its own. ...

U.N. Security Council to unfreeze Libyan assets

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:32:08 -0400

U.N. Security Council to unfreeze Libyan assets Libya-UN, Politics, 8/26/2011 The United Nations and its diplomatic partners seeking a resolution to the Libyan crisis yesteday urged the U.N. Security Council to release assets frozen under United Nations sanctions to the country's transitional authorities to help them set up a government in the North African nation. "We have ...

US officials meet the Libya Contact Group at historic time

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:32:08 -0400

US officials meet the Libya Contact Group at historic time Libya-USA, Politics, 8/26/2011 US Deputy Secretary of State William J. Burns led the U.S. delegation to the August 25 Libya Contact Group meeting in Istanbul, where representatives from 28 countries, the UN, EU, NATO, AU, OIC, Arab League and GCC came together to demonstrate the international community's firm commitment to ...

Hot weather and fast does not keep Iranians from Quds Day established by imam Khomeini

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:32:08 -0400

Hot weather and fast does not keep Iranians from Quds Day established by imam Khomeini Palestine-Iran, Politics, 8/26/2011 Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said today Zionist regime's existence "is not merely a threat to the Palestinian and the entire regional nations, rather its establishment and continued survival contrast interests, independence and dignity of all ...

Ahmadinejad Iran backs restoration of security in Iraq

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:32:08 -0400

Ahmadinejad: Iran backs restoration of security in Iraq Iraq-Iran, Politics, 8/26/2011 Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said yesterday that the Iran fully backs restoration of security and progress in Iraq, in a meeting with visiting Iraqi deputy chairman of Iraqi Kurdistan administration Nechirvan Barzani. IRNA reported saying "Given historical and cultural affinities ...

Reporters Without Borders condemns mistreatment of Palestinian journalists